76ers' Tyrese Maxey Praised for Bounce Back Performance vs. Magic

Tyrese Maxey is back on track after a tough showing against the Miami Heat on Monday.

Christmas Day didn’t go as planned for the Philadelphia 76ers’ rising star, Tyrese Maxey. 

As the Sixers paid a visit to the Miami Heat on the biggest primetime card of the year, Maxey was tasked with a significant role, as he became Philly’s go-to guy on offense in the absence of the injured MVP, Joel Embiid.

Unfortunately, Maxey did not live up to the expectations, which is a rare occurrence from the young Sixers guard, who has exceeded expectations more often than not throughout his career.

Couldn’t Take the Heat

Not every night can go perfectly for every player throughout an 82-game stretch, but Monday’s outing was by far one of Maxey’s toughest showings.

In 43 minutes of action, the young guard attempted 20 shots from the field, with eight of those attempts coming from beyond the arc. Despite becoming one of the NBA’s sharpest shooters from deep, Maxey was ice cold down in South Beach on Christmas.

Of the eight threes he attempted, Maxey successfully hit on just one. In total, he drained 20 percent of his field goals and knocked down just three of his six free throws. Maxey scored 12 points in the six-point loss.

The Response

Players are entitled to a bad game every now and then, but they are always certainly going to be judged for how they perform in their follow-up showing. When the Sixers paid a visit to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, Maxey collected a 34-minute shift.

The young guard attempted 18 shots, trailing only Tobias Harris in most field goal attempts on the Sixers. While it wasn’t a 30-plus-point masterclass by Maxey, he bounced back by scoring 23 points on 50 percent shooting.

“I think he read the game well,” said Sixers head coach Nick Nurse. “He blasted in there when he saw an opening. He played through some bumps, got some space for some threes when those were open. We got him off the ball a little more tonight, so he was a recipient of some weak side stuff, too.”

Through 29 games this season, Maxey has been one of the 76ers’ most consistent players. Prior to his outing in Orlando, Maxey averaged 46 percent from the field, and 39 percent from deep, while averaging 26 points per game. Monday’s game was uncharacteristic, but he once again proved that slumps are hard to come by since he has kept a strong mentality all season long, thanks to his confidence. 

“Great bounce back,” Nurse finished. “Most guys in this league go through four-for-twenties — most really good players. He did good to bounce back from it. I’m sure he’s happier now than he was a couple of days ago.”